Ticking bomb!

So we have made it 2 weeks...yah! But everyday I wake up wondering, "Is today the day that I'm going to explode?" I literally feel like a ticking bomb and that shouldn't happen for another 2 months at least! I continue to have contractions, but not enough in an hour to send me to the hospital. There have been a few of times where I will have 3 in hour and I will say to myself, "If this continues for another hour, I'm going in!" But then they slow down. Michael continues to move a ton which is very reassuring and I absolutely love it! It's been quite a bonding experience for me especially when I pretty much can't do anything else! I feel like I'm nesting because I keep coming up with all these things I need to do to get ready for Michael, but about 75% of them, I can't do! Tomorrow I have an appointment with the perinatolgist, so I guess we'll see what kind of progress has been made...although hopefully none! What I would love is for her to say, "It looks like everything has gone back to normal! You can go ahead and just enjoy the next 3 months!" But that's next to impossible! I have no idea what to expect...it's a little unnerving!
Matthew on the other hand can't understand why Michael can't come right now! He comes up with new things daily that he wants to do with Michael! He told me the other day that Michael really wants to go to Disneyland and ride the Buzz ride with Matthew! It was very sweet! He is also excited to bring him to church for some reason! And he wants Michael to take a bath with him! I don't know how to explain that it will probably be a while before Michael actually gets to come home with us and a lot longer after that before I will actually take him out of the house, but a 2 year old can only understand so much! We will deal with that when it comes! I continue to be amazed by his love for his little brother he hasn't even met yet!
Matthew and I have been trying to keep busy despite everything. We are very excited for Halloween. Shockingly, Matthew has chosen to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween and has made assignments to my parents and sisters for their Halloween costumes as well as Scott and I. We decided today to start decorating for Halloween, so I pulled out some of my supplies from teaching and we made a few homemade decorations for Matthew's playroom. They turned out so cute!

I especially love the ghosts because we traced Matthew's feet and then Matthew made their faces. I think they turned out so darling! Matthew also did a great job on the pumpkins! We have a few more things that we are hoping to make, but I wanted to get a jump start before I can do absolutely nothing!
I don't know what I would do without my Matty to keep me busy! :)

A Tribute to My Little Superman

With everything that has been going on and changing in our lives lately, Matthew has been absolutely amazing! So when he saw this Superman shirt and asked for it, I felt it only appropriate! Saying that I love and adore this little man is the understatement of the year! I could never put into words how much I love him! He has the most patience of any 2 year old I have ever met and a heart made of gold! Everyone around Matthew can see a very special light in his eyes and countenance that radiates and makes you want to be with him and talk to him! It brings tears to my eyes to see how much he already loves his little brother Michael! He tells me often that he can't wait to give him hugs and kisses that are "special from Matthew" as he says. I know that it was no coincidence that Matthew was sent to our home first; to be the example and protector. I cannot wait to see a relationship develop between my two boys and see Matthew's sweet love for little Michael in action! Matthew has been so strong the last 2 weeks as he has been run from doctor's appointments to the hospital to a new house to friend's and family's houses and all over...he has been Superman to say the least! I can tell in his sweet eyes that he's not always happy about it, but he is a trooper through it all! I don't know what I would do without him and his strength! I am proud to be the mother of this little Superman!

*I will update later with Michael news...he's still cookin!*

Update

Today I received a call from the perinatologist and they wanted to start the steriod shots right away to start little Michael's lungs developing a little faster. They reassured us that it wouldn't cause harm to Michael or induce labor in any way, it is a precautionary step to prepare him for when my body decides it's time (whether I am actually ready or not!) I had one dose today and will have one more tomorrow. Everything finally hit me today and I had a break down, but I'm glad we are both receiving the care we need. I don't know what I would do without my husband...he has really carried me through this. I haven't packed, moved, or unpacked any boxes and he had just turned into Mr. Mom.
We appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, and phone calls. I apologize if I haven't been able to answer or call you back. I'm a little overwhelmed and I will get back to you as soon as I can, but I will continue to update our blog. I am so grateful for all the support we have received and the out pouring of love we have felt in the last couple days and even weeks.

Test Results

We got the results back quickly from my doctor this afternoon, but they came back positive. This means we are very likely to have our sweet baby in the next 2 weeks. Of course, there are always some moms who make it past the 2 weeks, so we are hoping we will be an exception. We will be seeing the perinatologist in the next couple of days who will monitor little Michael, particularly his lungs and weight. Depending on how the next few days go, they will start me on steriods that will help Michael's lungs develop quicker since the biggest problem with premature babies (especially so young like Michael) is that they can't breath on their own very well or even at all sometimes. Michael continues to be healthy and definitely strong. It's almost like with each kick he's telling me, "See, I'm strong!" His heart rate is good and everything looks great via ultrasound.
We have started preparing for a quick getaway to the hospital. I have pretty much been put on bedrest, but as soon as I have 4 contractions in an hour again, I will be in the hospital most likely until Michael is born. They will put me on medication to delay labor as long as possible, but I have been told that they can only delay it up to a few weeks at most. So our bags are packed and we are trying to prepare Matthew as much as we can. We are very overwhelmed by all of this on top of our move, but continue to put our trust in the Lord and feel continued peace.

Another high risk pregnancy!

So I guess I spoke too soon when I said that we were excited not to have a high risk pregnancy this time! I had an appointment with my awesome doctor today to follow up with my labor and delivery visits. (Yes visits plural, we had to go back one more time.) My contractions have been pretty regular since Sunday...every 20 minutes. Which you may be thinking, those are really far apart, but actually, they are WAY too close together for me being only 26.5 weeks. The good news first: I'm still not dilating...thank goodness! But I am very close. I will spare all the details, but basically, I'm one inch away from strict bedrest and medication. My doctor wants me laying on my left side for at least 3 hours a day, but resting as often as Matthew will permit! So now I have to go to the doctor every 2 weeks and we're off to a Perinatologist again. I'm really hoping we can see the same Perinatologist that we saw with Matthew, but we will see when they call who is available. I have to go back to my doctor tomorrow to do a protein test that will tell us whether little Michael will be here in the next 2 weeks! Ahh! A little scary to think about, but we are putting all our trust in the Lord and knowing that He will take care of our tiny son! My doctor told me before I left the office, "I'm really hoping we can get you to at least 28 weeks!" I think my heart fell right into my feet! I've known there was a small chance we would have him early, but to hear my doctor actually say that out loud made me a little nervous. Luckily, little Michael is so strong! He's growing great and his heart rate is right on! He moves a ton which I absolutely love and brings me peace every time he jabs me! I just have to soak up every little movement before I won't be able to feel it anymore! We had an ultrasound today too and Matthew was excited to see his little brother again. Although he did say, "Wow, that's a little scary!" It is a little scary to see their eyeballs over an ultrasound!
Please keep our little Michael in your prayers! Hopefully the protein test will come back negative tomorrow and I can continue to cook our little baby for as long as possible!